Bellis Perennis as a Host of Virus, A Worldwide First Record

Bellis perennis is used across the globe in garden landscaping and as a pot plant for beautification besides various cosmeceuticals and medicinal properties, and therefore has significant agronomic value.B. perennis plants were observed exhibiting yellow vein net symptom in gardens at Lucknow during a roving survey.The size of foliage and bloom was smaller than the healthy plants growing around, in diseased plants.Ageratum (weed) plants in the same gardens were also observed showing similar yellow vein net symptom.The infection of begomovirus was confirmed in these plants by PCR and full-length DNA-A and betasatellite genomes inferred.The DNA-A revealed 87.6-95.9%nucleotide sequence identity with Ageratum Enation Virus (AEV), whereas betasatellite DNA revealed 85.9-95.0%identity with Ageratum Leaf Curl Betasatellite (ALCB) and clustered with them in phylogeny.No viral disease is known in B. perennis world over before this investigation.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever record of AEV and ALCB occurrence in B. perennis that may serve as reservoir for further virus dissemination in other argonomically important plants and need attention